Pocket Insider Latest Technology Review
Design & Build Quality
Features
TYLT’s lower end Zumo is a great starter pack and tackles the competition at the $40 price point. We highly recommend this for anybody looking for an external source that is very easy to carry around with. If you enjoy staying out late, the Zumo is a great accessory to keep in your pocket or bag. Its size is what really sold us on it - portability. With the compact and light design, fast charging, convenient flex charging arms and a trustworthy solid charge, the TYLT Zumo definitely make a great addition to everyone's portable charging solution.
Last week, we reviewed TYLT PowerPlant. In some ways, the TYLT Zumo is very similar to the PowerPlant. Before we move on, let’s us give you a quick overview of Zumo. The TYLT Zumo is a small and portable back-up charger, designed to be taken on the go to charge a variety of devices when they are on the verge of going flat.
Features:-
- 1,500mAh battery provides up to 4 hours of extra talk time
- Built-in Flex Arms
- Easy to read LED lights indicate battery reserve with the press of a button
- Available in 30-Pin Apple connector and Micro-USB versions
- Charges from any USB port
- Will retain its charge for up to a year
- Includes a USB extension cable for convenience
Review
Design & Build Quality
The design of the TYLT Zumo is pretty solid. It’s very small and extremely portable. Weighing at only 2.4 ounces, it’s practically weightless. Durability is always a concern and it’s even more so with something that’s this portable. After a week’s usage, we conclude that this portable charger is very resistant to bumps. Having this attached to a key ring, a bag or even just dangling around in your pocket isn’t going to put the TYLT Zumo in jeopardy.
For dimension comparison purposes, let’s compare it to the TYLT PowerPlant, which features a 5,200 mAh battery.
Features
The Zumo features a 1,500 mAh battery with a “Flex Charging Arm”, which eliminates the need to carry extra cables with you. The TYLT Zumo comes equipped with either a micro-USB connector for smartphone and Android devices or a 30-pin Apple connector for iOS devices. One thing that we liked was that the charging cables can be easily folded back into the pack when not in use. Both cables also extend a bit for better reach.
The TYLT Zumo charges via USB connector, that can be plugged into a computer or the charging adapter that comes with it.
It also has a removable carabineer that can be used to attach the Zumo to a backpack, purse, or even to your keys.
The Zumo charges one device at a time. It can charge tablets, but at a bare minimum rate and we wouldn’t recommend it. For tablet charging, we would recommend getting the TYLT PowerPlant, which features a 5,200 mAh battery with a high-powered 2.1A output. The Zumo has an LED indicator on back side to show how much power is remaining.
Real-world Test
From our test, we got about 90% charge from a fully dead BlackBerry Z10, about 75% on a Galaxy Nexus and close to 50% on a Galaxy Note 2. The device works great and delivers in its intent, giving our phones the extra boost it needs to last just a bit more than average.
Final Thoughts
We’ve been using the portable charger with multiple smartphones, and with this being TYLT’s lower end portable charger, 1,500 mAh. However, at the price range of $39.99, it is a little pricey. Most portable chargers around this price range offer about 2,000 to 3,000 mAh.
